AFRICA: A Constant Battlefield of Great Power Rivalry

Abstract

This study examines the objectives and motivations of three different episodes of great power rivalry in Africa. The second half of the 19^th century witnessed a competition between European powers in the brutal partition of Africa by acquiring colonial territories, called the “scramble for Africa”. During the Cold War, the continent became one of the battlefields of the global East-West confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. The current great power rivalry in Africa is now taking place between China and the US. Since the 2000s, China has had extensive economic investments, intense educational, cultural and political interactions, and growing military ties in Africa that threatens the US global hegemony. Analyzing these three eras of great power rivalry in Africa, the study reveals the different underlying dynamics and features of each era, including the different strategies that great powers adopted to achieve their objectives within each era.

Keywords

• Africa,China,European Powers,the US,the USSR

Büyük Güçlerin Sürekli Bir Mücadele Alanı: AFRİKA

Abstract

Eldeki bu çalışma Afrika kıtası üzerindeki farklı dönemlerde vuku bulan büyük güçler arasındaki mücadelelerinin amaçları ve motivasyonlarını ele almaktadır. Bu noktada, 19. yüzyılın ikinci yarısı “Afrika talanı” olarak adlandırılan Avrupalı güçlerin Afrika’yı sömürgelere ayırarak parçalama yarışına sahne olmuştur. Soğuk Savaş döneminde ise kıta, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Sovyetler Birliği arasındaki küresel Doğu-Batı mücadelesinin bir muharebe alanı haline gelmiştir. Kıta üzerinde hali hazırdaki büyük güç mücadelesi Çin ve ABD arasında yaşanmaktadır. Nitekim 2000’li yılların başından itibaren Çin’in Afrika ile büyüyen ekonomik, siyasi ve kültürel ilişkileri ABD’nin küresel hegemonyasına meydan okuyacak boyutlara ulaşmıştır. Çalışma Afrika kıtası üzerinde geçmişten günümüze bahsi geçen bu üç büyük güç mücadelesi dönemine odaklanarak, her dönemin kendine has özelliklerini ve bu dönemleri şekillendiren büyük güçlerin amaç ve stratejilerini ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• Afrika,Çin,Avrupalı Güçler,ABD,Sovyetler Birliği

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